London

I've been away for a while and had my biggest adventure. Most of us have our bucket list and among those in mine are: travel to Europe before turning 30 and travel alone before I get married. A month ago I was on a solo journey to the UK and it was my first time in Europe too.

I booked my flight with Singapore Airlines as they were the cheapest at that time. I flew with them before and I knew that I will get good value for my money. Service was superb as usual and the meals were delicious. It was my first time in their A380 as well and I loved the seats, the big windows, leg room and Kris World-the entertainment system.

It is very convenient to get an Oyster Card when in London. Having one means you can save on transportation as you can use it on the tube, overground and the buses. If you're staying for about a week, get a season pass for 1 week. All your rides on the tube, overground and buses for a particular zone will be for free. Or if you're staying for a few days only and only interested to see the tourist spots, get a travel card. For for more information, check the Transport for London website http://www.tfl.gov.uk/.

My friend from high school accompanied me to all the tourist spots and they're a few minutes away from each other either by walking or the tube. Visited Buckingham Palace (a crowd was outside due to Jubilee activities), The Parliament and Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Picadilly Circus and a photo op for the Harry Potter fan at King's Cross station.

My friend from work Jin, brought me to all the places locals usually go to like the Portobello Market, different kinds of night life like watching football in the pub, drinks at a cocktail bar and going clubbing. She suggested going to the parks and I spent the afternoon at Regents Park. She let me do the touristy thing of crossing the pedestrian lane at Abbey Road.

I had to visit at least one stadium and the most convenient one in London was Arsenal.

There's a lot of food to try out like English breakfasts, fish and chips, and if you're lucky sunday roast in the pubs. I'll tell you more about these soon.

More tips on saving while in London--buy your water at the supermarket if you can. You can also refill the bottle on the tap and bring it with you while walking around. Choose days where you save or splurge on food. For light meals, sandwiches at different delis and coffee shops like Pret, Costa and Eat offer these. Walk around as much as you can. Some of the places are just nearby. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes always.

So many great things are happening in London this year. While I was there, they were preparing for the Queen's Jubilee and next month will be the Olympics. This is a good time to be there.

I hope I can come back someday but this time with friends. London is very easy for a tourist as you can get as much information everywhere. I think I'd better go back since I haven't been to the museums yet. And I think I'll have more reasons why I want to go back.